TRANSFER STUDENT ORIENTATION 2013
Supplement to
“Introduction to Academics at Rice for New Students”
Or…
What a new transfer student really needs to know
Office of Academic Advising
Mission Statement of O-week
“Introduce and incorporate new students into
their residential colleges and to provide
academic advising……..every program in OWeek should be organized with these goals in
mind”
50% Academic Advising
Mission Statement of Academic Advising
The mission of advising at Rice University is to
promote an unparalleled environment for
undergraduates to explore opportunities, identify
goals, and implement plans to reach those goals.
General Graduation Requirements


Be registered at Rice
full time for at least
four full fall/spring
semesters
Complete at least 60
semester hours at Rice
University


Complete the
requirements of at
least one major
degree program
Complete at least 120
hours (some degree
programs require
more)
Distribution Requirements


Allows for breadth of
knowledge, in addition
to the depth received
through major
coursework.
Each student is required
to complete at least 12
semester hours of
designated distribution
courses in each of
Groups I, II, and III.



Group I: Humanities
Group II: Social Sciences
Group III: Natural
Sciences and
Engineering
Distribution Requirement
Requirement




Must include courses in at least 2
departments in that group
Not all courses in a certain subject or
department will be distribution
Courses must be designated as
distribution at the time of course
registration for that specific
semester.
Transfer credits can count toward
distribution, but only if the Rice
equivalent course is designated as
distribution credit in the term and
year in which the Registrar’s office
awards the transfer credit.
Example
Group II:
PSYC 101- 3 hours
PSYC 202- 3 hours
PSYC 203- 3 hours
ANTH 201- 3 hours
Some possible combinations:
9 in PSYC ; 3 in ANTH
11 in SOCI; 1 in PSYC
6 in ECON; 6 in LING
Upper Level Requirements
Requirement




Complete at least 48 hours of all
degree work in upper-level
courses (at the 300 level or
higher)
Complete more than half of the
upper-level courses in degree
work at Rice (at least 25 hours)
Complete more than half of the
upper-level courses in their major
work at Rice
Certain departments may be
higher
Example

History requires at least 18 hours
at the 300 level or higher.
½ x 18 = 9

At least 10 (> than 9) of these
upper-level major hours must be
taken at Rice.
Writing and Communication Requirement
Satisfy the Composition Requirement

ALL new students must do ALL of the following:
 Take the composition exam


Students who fail the exam will have to complete FWIS 100,
Fundamentals of Academic Communication, before taking their
required FWIS course for graduation
Successfully complete a FWIS (First Year Writing Intensive
Seminar), a 1-semester course carrying 3 hours degree credit


These courses will be capped at 15 students & carry distribution credit.
FWIS Courses: CANNOT be taken Pass/Fail &
CANNOT be dropped after the second week.
LPAP Requirement
Satisfy the LPAP Requirement
 Students must complete one LPAP Course (1
credit)
 Students with disabilities may make special
arrangements to satisfy this requirement
 Athletes must take an LPAP
Adding

Courses can be added during the
first two weeks of classes by using
Esther.
Dropping
First-Year Students (including new
transfer students):
 In your first semester at Rice, courses
can be dropped until the last day of
classes.
 In the Spring semester of your first
year at Rice, courses can be
dropped though the tenth week of
classes.
 Mid-semester grades are reported
in the seventh week, allowing you
time to consider dropping a class.
For continuing students, courses can be
dropped through the seventh week.
Pass/Fail Rules
General Information


You can designate a
class as “pass/fail” up
until the end of the tenth
week of classes.
You may convert a
pass/fail class to a
grade after the
semester until the end of
the second week of the
next semester.
Restrictions




You cannot take more than one
pass/fail course in a semester.
You are permitted to take one
pass/fail course for each fullyear of residence, up to a
maximum of 4.
You may not take more than a
total of 14 semester hours as
pass/fail.
You cannot take a course
pass/fail that is required for
your major (or minor).
Transfer Credit
Rice University Transfer Credit Policy
 Full policy is stated in the General Announcements
(online)
 Courses taken at another college or university that
are appropriate to the Rice curriculum may be
approved for transfer credit.
 Course must be taken at a regionally-accredited
institution
 Student must have earned a grade of at least a C-
Forms of Transfer Credit
Evaluation by the Office of the Registrar in conjunction
with the faculty, transfer credit is awarded either as
“TRAN” or “Rice Equivalent” credit
TRAN
 TRAN 100 or 300 hours
count toward general
hours required for
graduation
 TRAN 300 hours count
toward the upper-level
hours required for
graduation
Rice Equivalent Credit
 Satisfies the same university, major
or distribution requirements as if
the course was taken at Rice
 Usually requires approval of
departmental Transfer Credit
Advisor
Obtaining Rice Equivalent Credit


Reasons to obtain Rice Equivalent Credit
 Major
 Distribution
 LPAP
 FWIS – Must petition before the end of O-Week
Procedure
 Complete “Undergraduate Request for Transfer Credit” form
 Obtain signature of departmental Transfer Credit Advisor
 Return completed form to Registrar
AP and IB credit

Rice awards transfer credits for AP and IB
examinations for students who have met the
following criteria:
 AP
 Student
received a score of 4 or 5
 Scores must be sent directly to Rice from the College Board
 IB
 Student
completed and was awarded IB Diploma
 Student obtained a score of 6 or 7 on higher level exams
 Student must have official IB score report to be sent to Rice
2013 Transfer Student Orientation
Monday, August 19
2:30 p.m.
Farnsworth Pavilion in Ley Student Center
www.rice.edu/advising
Questions?
Brad Blunt
Assistant Director of Academic Advising
bblunt@rice.edu
713-348-2937
Christopher R. Jones
Transfer Credit Specialist
christopher.r.jones@rice.edu
713-348-8045
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